Passover Handbook - 2026

CHABAD JEWISH LEARNING CENTRE

NISSAN 15–22, 5786

APRIL 1–9, 2026

Passover Handbook

Foreword

Passover, the joyous Jewish festival of freedom, begins this year on Wednesday evening, April 1, and continues through Thursday evening, April 9. It marks our ancestors’ liberation from Egyptian bondage and the birth of our nationhood and special relationship with G-d. The festival’s highlight is the seder (ritual meal), observed on Wednesday evening, April 1, and repeated on the following night.

Jewish calendar dates do not begin at midnight, but earlier—at nightfall. Not insignificantly, this allows Jewish days to fully progress from darkness (night) to light (day), a theme especially native to Passover eve: Our national experience began with darkness of exile and the nightmare of bondage, before maturing into freedom and light (the receiving of the Torah). In our own lives, we attempt to replicate this progress when celebrating Passover—to escape from internal darkness, inflicted by self-centeredness and servitude to baser instincts, and to emerge into a liberating existence focused on purpose. In this way, Passover empowers our personal exodus.

The following pages provide impetus for this experience. Fascinating Passover insights, designed to inform and inspire, are paired with practical guidance to facilitate a meaningful commemoration of our past, while supplying liberating tools for the present.

Our goal is to produce results that endure: Although some editions of the Haggadah include a concluding declaration—“We have reached the end of the Passover seder”—other editions pointedly shun that notion. For all concur that our inspiring experience is supposed to linger and positively influence us for the rest of the year, until we are ready to leap further on the following Passover. The messages contained in this pamphlet encourage us to head into Passover prepared to never leave, for the personal liberation we will experience is as valuable and immutable as the miraculous disintegration of Egyptian bondage and the gift of divinely guided nationhood that flourishes until today.

Best wishes for a festival of liberating inspiration, Rabbi Altein

Exile and Redemption

1533 BCE

On Rosh Hashanah, Pharaoh has 2 disturbing dreams and Joseph, known to interpret dreams, is brought before Pharaoh. Joseph’s interpretation foretells of 7 years of plenty followed by 7 years of famine. He advises a nationwide food storage program. Pharaoh is impressed and appoints Joseph as viceroy of Egypt.

1743

G-d strikes a covenant with Abraham known as the “Covenant between the Parts.” G-d informs Abraham that his children will be enslaved in Egypt and then return to Israel to inherit the land.

1523 BCE

After 2 years of famine, Jacob and his family come to Egypt, where Joseph provides for them and where they are treated with honor as Joseph’s family.

1400

BCE

The conditions of Jewish slavery grow exceedingly harsh and bitter.

1545

BCE

Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, has 12 sons, including Joseph. The brothers sell Joseph into slavery and he is taken to Egypt. Thus begins the saga of Jewish slavery in Egypt.

1429 BCE

Levi, Jacob’s last surviving son, passes away. With the last of Joseph’s brothers gone, Pharaoh grapples with how to handle the growing Jewish population in Egypt and decides to enslave them.

1373

BCE

Moses kills an Egyptian for beating a Jewish slave. This is reported to Pharaoh, who decrees Moses’s execution. Moses flees to Midyan.

1393 BCE

On the 7th of Adar, Moses is born. His mother, Jochebed, places him in a basket in the Nile. Pharaoh’s daughter discovers him and raises him in Pharaoh’s palace.

1394

BCE

Pharaoh decrees that all Jewish male newborns be drowned in the Nile.

burning bush and orders him to return to Egypt and liberate the Jews. Moses appears before Pharaoh and relays G-d’s instruction, but Pharaoh refuses.

1314 BCE

9.5 months before the Exodus, the Ten Plagues commence.

1314 BCE

On Rosh Hashanah, as the 3rd plague commences, Egypt loses control of its Jewish slaves, who are henceforth free

1313 BCE

On the 1st of Nisan, G-d instructs the Jews to designate a Paschal lamb to be eaten on the eve of their Exodus.

1313

1313

On the eve of the 15th of Nisan, Jews eat the Paschal lamb and celebrate the first Passover seder in history. At the stroke of midnight, the 10th plague strikes all Egyptian firstborns, but passes over the Jewish homes. Jews spend the night collecting valuables from their Egyptian neighbors and baking matzah for their journey. At midday, the Jews leave Egypt.

On the 14th of Nisan, Jews slaughter the Paschal lamb and paint their doorposts with its blood.

On the 10th of Nisan, the Egyptian firstborns demand that the Jews

1313 BCE

On the 21st of Nisan, Pharaoh and his army reach the Jews at the Sea of Reeds. G-d splits the sea miraculously, the Jews pass through, and the pursuing Egyptians drown.

1313 BCE

1 month after the Exodus, the matzah provisions run out and G-d commences a miraculous daily ration of heavenly manna that continues for 40 years.

1313

BCE

On the 6th of Sivan, seven weeks after the Exodus, the Jews receive the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai.

Pleasure through Toil

Passover Messages from the Lubavitcher Rebbe

In these days on the eve of Pesach, the festival that marks the “birth” and initiation of our Jewish people, one’s mind turns to reflect on the question: What and how should be this nation’s way of life in order that it realize, in the surest and best possible manner, the purpose and goal of its existence? . . .

It would appear reasonable to suppose that the highest perfection is to be found in a state where the maximum pleasure—true pleasure— is obtainable without difficulties and without travail; for in such a state “the nature of the Good to do good” would be perceived in fullest measure.

Yet, the Torah, which is Torah-Or (showing things in their true essence), declares, “Man is unto travail born.” . . .

Precisely because G -d desires that man should enjoy the good in its perfection, and human nature is such that a person derives true pleasure only if he is a partner in its attainment, through his own exertion and travail; whereas, on the contrary, if he receives it entirely gratis it is degrading to him, as though he was receiving charity (“bread of shame”)—precisely because of this, the good in its perfection is enjoyed only when a person earns it through hard work, and the harder the effort, the sweeter tastes the fruit of achievement.

This is how it was at the birth of our Jewish nation. The plan of Yetzias Mitzraim (liberation from Egypt) was revealed in G -d’s words to Moshe Rabbeinu: “When you will take out the people from Egypt, you (all) will serve G -d at this mountain (Sinai).” To be sure, Yetzias Mitzraim itself was an act of Heavenly grace, and in a manner of wonderful and obvious miracles. However, it was conditioned from the start on serving G -d (as a hardworking servant). This was the contribution of the nation, its participation in its newly won liberty from Egyptian bondage.

And as it is with the Jewish nation as a whole, so it is with the individual. A person’s striving should be to act and to achieve results; and not merely to act, but to do so with exertion, in terms of “travail” as defined by Toras Emes. Only in this way does a man rise from the state of “Man (adam) being dust (adamah)” to the state of “Man (adam) emulating G -d (adameh l’Elyon).”

Public letter, 1972

In G-d We Trust

One of the fundamental features of the Yetzias Mitzraim message is the unlimited Bitochon—the absolute reliance on Divine Providence—which found such poignant expression in the historic event of the Exodus from Egypt. A whole people, men, women and children, several million in number, eagerly leave a well-settled and prosperous country, with all its fleshpots and material blessings, and go out on a long and perilous journey, without provision, but with absolute reliance on the word of G-d coming through Moshe Rabbeinu.

“Since the days of your departure from Egypt” and to the present day, these aspects of Yetzias Mitzraim—namely, the absolute Bitochon in the Divine Providence and its implementation in life, down to the daily conduct in accordance with the Divine precepts, regardless of the dictates of human considerations and natural laws—must be the indispensable companion and guiding light, in the experience of our people as a whole, and in the daily life of the individual Jew in particular, everywhere and at all times.

Public letter, 1961

Passover Checklist

Seder Checklist

Q Seder plate

Q Shemurah matzah

Q Wine/grape juice

Q Hard-boiled egg

Q A roasted piece of meat or poultry, e.g., chicken neck

Q Romaine lettuce

Q Ground horseradish

Q Charoset (mixture of fruits and nuts; e.g., apples, pears, walnuts)

Q A seder-plate vegetable; e.g., cooked potato or raw onion

Q Saltwater

Q Candles

Q Haggadah

Beware of Chametz!

Throughout the festival of Passover, the Torah forbids the owning, eating, or derivation of any benefit from chametz. Chametz, or “leaven,” refers to any food in which grain and water come in contact long enough to possibly ferment.

Commercially produced foods used during the festival should therefore be certified “Kosher for Passover.” And in the weeks before the festival, we remove all chametz from our homes. On the night before Passover—this year, we perform this on Tuesday evening, March 31—we conduct a search for any remaining chametz; on the following morning, we burn what we found and renounce all ownership of any leaven that may have escaped our notice.

Chametz that one wishes to have after Passover should be sold to a non-Jew for the duration of the holiday. This sale must be enacted properly; to sell online, see the web address on page 19.

The Eight Items of the Seder

For the seder , a table is set with the matzah, a cup for wine, and a kaarah (plate) that holds six items. The arrangement of these six items varies with local tradition; the Chabad custom is illustrated below—along with clarification about each item and additional insights.

A eat matzah on Passover eve to recall the incredible speed with which G-d extracted the Jews from Egypt. Our ancestors did not have time for the dough they had prepared to rise, and on their first stop outside of Egypt they hurriedly baked it into matzah. We use three matzahs for the

It is especially preferable to use handmade shemurah matzah start or end, symbolizing G-d’s infinity; its grain is protected against contact with water from the time of its harvesting; and it is handmade, replicating the matzah baked in Egypt and ever since.

See “The Bread of Authenticity.”

B that each person drink a total of four cups in the course of the proceedings. If wine is unworkable due to young age, health, or other factors, grape juice may be used.

C of meat or poultry. Some use a shank bone; others, a chicken leg or neck. It recalls the Passover offering in the Jerusalem Temple, itself a commemoration of the Paschal lamb eaten in Egypt. This item is at the

D Beitzah, a cooked egg; to recall the chagigah—personal festive offering brought on all festivals, including Passover. The absence of the Holy Temple evokes a sense of mourning. Hence the egg, a traditional mourner’s food (its oval shape symbolizes the life cycle). It is a common custom to dip it into Saltwater and eat it at the start of the seder’s meal.

E Maror, “bitter herbs,” invoke the bitter agonies of servitude. Maror’s precise identification is debated; prevailing customs call for romaine lettuce, horseradish, or both. Note that romaine is not bitter unless it is left unharvested for too long; similarly, our ancestors arrived in Egypt as royal guests of their relative (Joseph, the viceroy), but as their stay lengthened, their fate became increasingly bitter.

F Maror a second helping, because maror is used twice during the seder.

See “Channeling Bitterness.”

G Charoset, “edible clay”; a mixture of ground raw fruit and nuts with a dash of wine to recall the thick mortar with which our enslaved ancestors constructed cities for Pharaoh. (The maror is dipped in charoset before it is eaten.)

H Karpas, a vegetable. Prevalent options include celery, parsnip, radish, cabbage, raw onion, or cooked potato. It is dipped in Saltwater during the seder to pique the curiosity of children (of all ages!).

PATH OF MOST RESISTANCE

When we are engaged in a life of spiritual growth, we feel connected and inspired. However, the ultimate purpose of Judaism is to impact and transform our mundane, everyday life. The very activities that have the potential to draw us away from our Divine purpose are the areas that we must strive to transform into avenues for the service of G-d.

This is reflected in the Torah law that the only grains that may be used to make matzah (the highest spiritual food) are those that can potentially become leaven (they are: wheat, barley, spelt, rye, and oats). Instead of shying away from the mundane, we ought to realize that the highest spiritual achievements are latent within it.

Rabbi Avraham Yehoshua Heshel of Apta (1748–1825), Ohev Yisrael, Likutim Chadashim (Jerusalem: 5771), p. 410

SAVOR AND SERVE

Wine is a beverage rich in flavor and easy to appreciate. The seder’s delectable four cups of wine are therefore associated with our internalization and appreciation of Judaism’s brilliant insights and observances. In stark contrast, the matzah is flavorless, simple, and bland. Historically, it was the fare of the destitute and the enslaved. Matzah is associated with the elements of our relationship with G-d that we cannot rationally savor or understand. For these, we summon our inner matzah—the rock-hard nucleus of faith that G-d plants within our souls, that inborn connection that runs deeper than logic and outranks the familiar flavors of rationale. Wine and matzah combine in a seder, for both are essential to Judaism. Faith and appreciation must blend in the seder of daily Jewish life.

The Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902–1994), Likutei Sichot 26, pp. 44–45

CHANNELING BITTERNESS

Our passion for performing goodness is symbolized by the matzah, whereas our inclination toward wicked choices is represented as maror, for its products are indeed bitter. During the seder, we perform korech—combining matzah and maror. This represents our objective: to unite our passions in G-d’s service by inspiring our evil inclination to embrace the directions of our good inclination, thus forming an upgraded force for goodness.

Rabbi Moshe Alshich (1508–1593), Shemot 13:11

The Fifteen Steps of the Seder

1 KADESH

ׁשׁ דֵקַ

Sanctify Recite the kidush over the first cup of wine. If you cannot drink wine, grape juice may be used. It is appropriate for women and girls to light the festival candles on/near the seder table before sunset (and after nightfall on the second night). See p. 19 reciting a blessing.

3 KARPAS ספַּרְכַּ

Greens Eat a small piece of vegetable dipped in saltwater in order to stir the children’s curiosity, so that they ask about tonight’s unusual practices. In addition, dipped appetizers were a practice of royalty, hence a sign of freedom, whereas saltwater evokes the tears of our enslaved ancestors.

5 MAGID

דֵיגִמַ

Tell Pour the second cup of wine. If there are children present, they pose the Four Questions to the adults. If not, the adults pose them to each other. Those who are celebrating alone pose them aloud to themselves.

In response, read the Haggadah’s narrative of the Exodus that incorporates history, textual analysis, prayers, and songs. A summary of the contents of the magid section is provided on pp. 12–13, and selected highlights appear on pp. 14–15.

At the conclusion of this step, drink the second cup of wine.

Divide · Break the middle matzah in half. Put aside the larger half to be eaten at the end of the meal (Step 12— afikoman); reinsert the smaller half between the two whole matzahs; it is the symbolic “bread of poverty” over which we retell the story of the Exodus. Some use the afikoman to keep the children sederfocused by appointing them as afikoman guardians and suspending it over their shoulders—reminiscent of the unleavened dough that accompanied our ancestors from Egypt, “bundled in their robes upon their shoulders” (Exodus 12:34). Others hide the afikoman and reward the child who finds it.

6 RACHTZAH

הצָחַרְ

Wash Wash your hands ritually and recite the blessing that concludes with al netilat yadayim

7

MOTZI איצָוּמַ

Bring Forth In preparation for eating the matzah, touch the three matzahs and recite the blessing Hamotzi —“Blessed are You G-d . . . who brings forth bread from the earth.” Proceed immediately to the next step.

10 KORECH ךְרְוּכַּ

Unleavened Bread Touch the top two matzahs and recite tonight’s unique blessing over “the eating of matzah.” Eat a piece from each of them. Matzah recalls the haste with which our ancestors left Egypt. There was no time to allow their dough to rise, so they hurriedly baked it while it was unleavened. For the blessings recited over the matzah, see p. 15.

9

MAROR רְוּרְמַ

Bitterness · Recite the blessing over the maror, bitter herbs, symbolizing the bitterness of slavery. Before eating, dip it in charoset—the paste resembling the mortar used by our ancestors in forced labor.

Wrap Dip a second portion of bitter herbs in charoset and place it between two pieces of matzah (use the bottom matzah of the aforementioned three in the Motzi step) to create a matzahmaror sandwich.

11

SHULCHAN ORECH

Set Table · Enjoy a festive meal. It is customary to begin with the egg from the seder plate.

12 TZAFUN

Hidden · Retrieve and eat the afikoman (see step 4), which represents the original afikoman (“dessert”) eaten at the end of the seder meal—the meat of the Passover lamb.

13 BERACH

Bless Recite the Haggadah’s “Grace after Meals” over the third cup of wine, and then drink the wine.

14 HALLEL לְלְה

Praise · Pour the fourth cup of wine.

Pour a fifth cup (just one for the table, not for each individual). This is not consumed; it is the Prophet Elijah’s Cup, demonstrating that, in addition to the four cups of our past liberation, we anticipate our future, ultimate Redemption that will be heralded by Elijah the Prophet.

Open the door of your home for the passage indicated in the Haggadah; it signifies trust in G-d’s protection, as well as our longing to greet Elijah as he announces our final Redemption.

Recite the Hallel (psalms of praise) to thank G-d for the miracles of the Exodus.

15 NIRTZAH

הצָרְנ

Accepted Having fulfilled the seder’s steps as prescribed, we are confident that G-d accepts our performance. In conclusion, we joyously proclaim: “Next Year in Jerusalem!”

The Structure of Magid

The most robust of all the seder steps is Magid —“narration.” It is the platform for the most meaningful discussions of the night, as it leads us to verbally and mentally relive the dramatic dawn of Jewish history. As the main body of the seder (“order”), magid is carefully structured. Reviewing its structure in advance will help you avoid disorientation while experiencing its shifts in gear.

Invitation

Before we begin the recital of magid, we extend an invitation to individuals who may be needy or otherwise seder-less, assuring them that we are delighted to have them join us at our seder.

Overview

Our sages taught that the Exodus story we will recount tonight should ideally be couched as our response to questions posed by children. To that end, magid begins (after a brief intro) with the children’s Four Questions (see p. 14). In response, we offer a summarized explanation—we were slaves in Egypt, G-d redeemed us, and He directed us to verbally review the experience (see p. 14). This summary is followed with a brief discussion to establish the source of tonight’s mitzvah of recounting the Exodus—illustrated with an anecdote involving some of Jewry’s greatest sages who gathered at a seder to discuss the Exodus until dawn.

The Four Sons

The Torah directs us to retell the story to our children—but not all children are alike. Humans tend to possess dissimilar abilities and diverse personalities, and they require individualized channels of education. This segment of the Haggadah identifies four classic personality types that the Torah addresses while indicating the specific method of interaction appropriate for each of them.

The Exodus Story

The summarized Exodus saga offered earlier was a warm-up; we now embark on a detailed treatment.

Our sages advise us to launch the discussion with our lowly origins before working our way up to the glory in which we bathed at the story’s conclusion. We therefore reach back to our humble origins in pagan Mesopotamia, where our forefather Abraham’s family was steeped in idolatry. We describe G-d’s leading Abraham to the Holy Land, where He informed Abraham that his descendants would endure foreign slavery followed by glorious redemption. We move on to explore our ancestors’ suffering in their Egyptian exile and then finally arrive at the dramatic unfolding of G-d’s redemption through a series of supernatural blows to the mighty Egyptian empire. relies on the framework provided by the summary of the Exodus that appears in Deuteronomy (26:5–8). Its verses are broken down, line by line and sometimes word by word, with snippets of classic rabbinic commentary inserted to explain or expand.

Gratitude

Our description of the amazing miracles G-d performed on our behalf during the Exodus leads us to erupt with the “Dayenu” song of gratitude. Essentially, it is a list of the many kindnesses and blessings G-d showered on us from the Exodus until our arrival in the Land of Israel and the Holy Temple’s construction.

Mitzvot

We have concluded the story of the Exodus; it is time to discuss the three edible mitzvot of the night—the actions that G-d asks from us in return for His salvation: the paschal offering that was brought in the Temple; eating the matzah; and partaking of the bitter herbs (maror). For this passage, see p. 15.

Praise

We conclude the magid section by singing psalms in G-d’s praise and then reciting blessings over our redemption and drinking the second cup of wine.

Essential Passages of the Haggadah

Mah Nishtanah

The Four Questions

G-d instructed His liberated nation to discuss the Exodus on this night. We begin with curiosity-arousing inquiries—for progenies to pose to parents, and for individuals to ask themselves.

On all nights we eat chametz or matzah, and on this night only matzah.

On all nights we eat any kind of vegetables, and on this night maror!

On all nights we eat sitting upright or reclining, and on this night we all recline!

Avadim Hayinu

Three-Sentence Summary

This is a lead-in to the Haggadah that sums up tonight’s story, mission, and scope of duty.

We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and the L-rd, our G - d, to ok us out from there with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm. If the Holy One, blessed be He, had not taken our ancestors out of Egypt, then we, our children and our children’s children would have remained enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt. Even if all of us were wise, all of us understanding, all of us knowing the Torah, we would still be obligated to discuss the Exodus from Egypt; and everyone who discusses the Exodus from Egypt at length is praiseworthy.

Rabban Gamliel

Edible Messages

ןבר לאילמג

This section is indispensable. Reading it satisfies tonight’s verbal obligations, and in clarifying the seder’s edible duties, it solves questions posed at the seder’s start.

Rabban Gamliel used to say: Whoever does not discuss the following three things on Passover has not fulfilled his duty, namely: Passover (the Passover sacrifice), Matzah (the unleavened bread) and Maror (the bitter herbs).

חספ The Passover lamb that our ancestors ate during the time of the Beit Hamikdash: For what reason [did they do so]?

Because the Omnipresent passed over our ancestors’ houses in Egypt, as it is said:

“You shall say: It is a Passover offering to the L-rd, because He passed over the houses of the Children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians with a plague, and He saved our houses. And the people bowed and prostrated themselves.”

הצמ This matzah that we eat: For what reason? Because the dough of our ancestors did not have time to become leavened before the King of the kings of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed Himself to them and redeemed them. Thus, it is said: “They baked matzah cakes from the dough that they had brought out of Egypt because it was not leavened; for they had been driven out of Egypt and could not delay, and they had also not prepared any [other] provisions.”

Hold the three matzahs (while covered with the cloth) and recite the following:

Baruch atah Ado‑nai, Elo‑heinu melech ha’olam, hamotzi lechem min ha’aretz.

Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.

Let go of the bottom matzah and recite the following, bearing in mind that it also applies to the eating of the korech sandwich, and to the eating of the afikoman:

Baruch atah Ado‑nai, Elo‑heinu melech ha’olam, asher kideshanu bemitzvotav, vetzivanu al achilat matzah.

Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us concerning the eating of matzah.

רורמ This maror that we eat: For what reason? Because the Egyptians embittered our ancestors’ lives in Egypt, as it is said: “They made their lives bitter with hard service, with mortar and with bricks, and with all manner of service in the field; all their service that they made them serve with rigor.”

Seder Discussion Starters

Tonight is Judaism’s “conversation evening.” We are directed to proactively spark Passover-themed discussions at the seder . Some even see the festival’s Hebrew name, Pesach, as a contraction of peh-sach , “verbalized conversation.” Here are twenty-four thought-provoking, open-ended questions and prompts for sparking dialogue at your seder .

QIn what ways are we, as a society, enslaved today?

Why have the Jews survived for millennia while so many other civilizations have vanished?

What do you think?

What is your first Passover memory?

Share an idea that could make the seder more fun.

Why do we place such emphasis on children on Passover?

How do you feel the message of Passover applies to current global events?

How do you balance tradition and modernity in your Passover celebrations?

What is the best afikoman gift you’ve received?

Which of the four sons do you most resemble?

What aspect of the Passover story resonates most with you personally?

It is Jewish tradition to ask questions on Passover. What is one of your important questions about Judaism?

What is your favorite part of the Haggadah, and why?

Describe a unique family Passover custom or tradition.

Why have the Jews been singled out for persecution and hate throughout history?

Why is there a commandment to tell the story of the Exodus every year? Surely we know it already!

The Final Two Days of Passover

The Torah describes Passover as extending for seven days, designating the first and seventh days as “sacred” days on which it is forbidden to engage in certain “labors.”

Outside of Israel, this results in an eight-day holiday, with the first two and final two days as the sacred days. This year, the final two days of Passover begin on Tuesday evening, April 7, and conclude on Thursday evening, April 9.

Each of these final two days of Passover have their own theme.

7

The Splitting of the Sea

The Seventh Day

On the fifteenth day of the month is G-d’s festival of matzot: for seven days you must eat matzot. . . . On the seventh day, hold a sacred assembly and do no laborious work.

Leviticus 23:6–8

The Future Redemption

Every Action Counts

We should always view ourselves as equally balanced with merits and faults, and view the world, too, as equally balanced with merits and faults. . . . Therefore, if I perform but one mitzvah, I can tip the balance—my own and the entire world’s—and effect personal and global deliverance and salvation.

Maimonides (1138–1204), Mishneh Torah, Laws of Repentance 3:4

The Messianic Era

The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the kid goat. . . . They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of G-d as the waters cover the sea. . . . G-d will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; He will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

Isaiah 11:6–9, 12, read during the service of the eighth day of Passover

The Sea and Its Song

On the seventh night of Passover, the Jewish people entered the Sea of Reeds [and it split for them]. In the morning, they sang a song of praise to G-d. This is why we read the “Song of the Sea” from the Torah on the seventh day of Passover. Rashi (1040–1105), Exodus 14:5

A Messianic Feast

The Baal Shem Tov would call the final meal at the end of the final day of Passover seudat mashiach, the Messiah meal. This is because on the final day of Passover the radiance of the Mashiach shines. . . .

Rabbi Shalom Dovber of Lubavitch instructed that every participant in the seudat mashiach should drink four cups of wine.

Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn (1880–1950), cited in Hayom Yom, 22 Nissan

Nissan 5786 - April 2026

ChabadWinnipeg.org/Chametz

Shabbat and Holiday Candles

Baruch atah Ado‑nai, Elo‑heinu melech ha’olam, asher kideshanu bemitzvotav, vetzivanu lehadlik ner shel. . .

FOR SHABBAT, APRIL 3 Shabbat kodesh.

FOR HOLIDAYS, APRIL 1, 2, 7, 8 Yom Tov.

ON THE FIRST TWO NIGHTS OF PASSOVER ADD

Baruch atah Ad‑onai, Elo‑heinu melech ha’olam, shehecheyanu, veki’yemanu, vehigi’anu lizman hazeh.

Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the Universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the light. . .

FOR SHABBAT, APRIL 3 of the holy Shabbat.

FOR HOLIDAYS, APRIL 1, 2, 7, 8 of Yom Tov.

ON THE FIRST TWO NIGHTS OF PASSOVER ADD

Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the Universe, Who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.

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